MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Steven Crowl scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds as 13th-ranked Wisconsin fended off Minnesota 68-67. Tyler Wahl added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Badgers. They improved to 22-5 overall and 13-4 in the Big Ten for a first-place tie with Purdue. Illinois is a half-game behind. Wisconsin hosts the fourth-ranked Boilermakers next week. Jamison Battle had 17 points to lead the Gophers. They fell to 13-13 overall and 4-13 in the conference. Minnesota’s biggest deficit of the game, 59-51, came before two 3-pointers by Willis fueled an 8-0 spurt to tie it.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Phil Martelli pumped his left fist in the air, celebrating a win Michigan needed after Juwan Howard’s swipe. The former Saint Joseph’s coach filled in for the suspended Howard for the first of five games Wednesday night, and guided the Wolverines to a 71-62 win over Rutgers. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel was standing in the corner of the court closest to the team’s locker room, waiting to hug the 67-year-old veteran coach temporarily in charge of a basketball program without its coach for the rest of the regular season.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa athletic department has announced donations for a new wrestling training facility next to Carver-Hawkeye Arena have gone past the $25 million mark. Since launching the Carver Circle campaign nearly two years ago, a total of 225 supporters have donated to the project. Construction on the $26.5 million facility is expected to begin in June. The 38,500-square-foot building will have a tunnel connecting it to Carver-Hawkeye and will nearly double the amount of training space and establish a street-level hall of champions honoring Iowa wrestlers.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Keegan Murray scored 28 points as No. 25 Iowa defeated Michigan State 86-60. Kris Murray, Keegan’s twin brother, and Jordan Bohannon each had 11 as the Hawkeyes continued their February run. Iowa lost three of its last four games to end January, but is 5-1 since. Keegan Murray, who entered fourth nationally in scoring at 23.4 points per game, was 10 of 15 from the field. It was his 19th game of 20 or more points this season. It was the third consecutive win by Iowa over the struggling Spartans, who have dropped five of six overall.
